oe 
‘merity eyery attempt at subversion. The limits of ge- 
PREFACE. 
A pxsrre to advance the science of Botany by any 
additional remarks and facts which might be in my pos; 
session, connected with an endeavour to instruct the — 
ignorant, in this engaging science, are the motives 
which have induced the author to the prosecution of a 
laborious but gratifying task. 
How much he has drawn from every popular source 
of information and thus advanced the merit of this little - 
publication by the labours of others almost every page — 
can testify. se es 
The tacit evidence of Botanists to the accuracy of 
the prevailing definitions of genera and species, afford, 
‘as it were, an almost inviolable sanction to the Ta. 
bours of their authors, and appear to stamp with te- : 
nera, however, since the times of Linnzus, reverting in- 
a measure to their former simplicity, have now been 
greatly reduced, and more particularly so, since Botany, 
assuming a philosophical character, lays chaim to a 
classification by natural affinities. In this interesting 
and now prevailing view of the subject, a reduction of 
jections urged against these improvements isthe confu- 
heterogenous materials to their natural types, bas led 
the way to the construction of genera better paces. 
with the plan of nature. 5 
‘One of the strongest, and perhaps most ‘omponile ob 
sion which they are innocently the means of introducing, 
